In addition to making life easier for the state’s medical growers, the Oregon bill would create a new cannabis regulatory body and loosen retail store regulations.

A new piece of legislation flying through Oregon’s state government is set to shake up the state’s medical and recreational cannabis industries. If signed into law by Governor Kim Brown, House Bill 2198 would create the brand new Oregon Cannabis Commission (OCC) and create framework for the state’s medical providers to sell their leftover product into the state’s flourishing recreational industry.

According to a report from Leafly, Governor Brown’s signature on HB 2198 would allow the thousands of state-sanctioned medical growers in Oregon to sell up to 20 pounds of excess product into the state’s adult-use recreational market each year.

To oversee those proposed inter-industry sales, the OCC would be charged with regulating the state’s medical industry separately from the Oregon Liquor Control Commision (OLCC), that controls the state’s recreational cannabis industry. The OCC would be created from within the Oregon Health Authority, and be composed of eight members including a physician, a MMJ cardholder and provider, and representatives from the OLCC and state Health Authority.

In addition to the medical changes, HB 2198 would also remove regulations that banned cannabis dispensaries and retail shops from opening within 1,000 feet of a school. If passed, pot shops would be able to open up near schools if the OLCC finds that there is enough of a geographical barrier between the two to stop children from “traversing to premises of marijuana retailer or dispensary.”

HB 2198 passed through Oregon’s House of Representatives by a landslide vote of 48-11, and had a narrower, 18-12 victory in the State Senate late this week. The bill is now on the desk of Governor Brown for final approval, where it is expected to be signed into law.

published on July 8, 2017

Zach Harris

Zach Harris is a writer based in Philadelphia whose work has appeared on Noisey, First We Feast, and Jenkem Magazine. You can find him on Twitter @10000youtubes complaining about NBA referees.